'Walking Dead' plays season 5 trailer at Comic-Con

Andrew Lincoln attends "The Walking Dead" panel on Day 2 of Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2014, in San Diego. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Fans attending Friday's panel for "The Walking Dead" at Comic-Con got to see the first trailer for season five.

The new episodes stick largely to the comic-book version created by Robert Kirkman, and producers say it will get even darker in tone.

"The Walking Dead" stars Andrew Lincoln as a sheriff deputy who awakens from a coma to find flesh-eating zombies now roam the world around him.

Lincoln told the audience his preparation for scenes was a quiet process, prompting moderator Chris Hardwick to show a video montage of the actor shouting and pounding his fists to pump himself up on set.

"It's so normal for all of us to be so weird now," explained co-star Lauren Cohan. "We're really performing the craziest tasks on the show, so you have to be a little bit crazy."

The appearance marked the first Comic-Con visit for Chandler Riggs, who plays Lincoln's son.

Lincoln said of Riggs, now 15: "When I first met him, he was barely the size of his action figure. He looked like a cuddly, little Ewok. In season two, I was able to carry him. I nearly put my back out doing it. In season five, I'm hoping that he will carry me."

"The Walking Dead" returns to AMC Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. EDT.

See the season five trailer here.(Warning: The video contains some violent images.)